Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-01-04
Rohbing tl,e ,Frcasury.


past year have resulted in developments Of
the methods practiced by Commissioners of
the United States to multiply their fees be-
yond the legitimate and liberal provisions
of the laws. The Commissioners and clerks
of the United States Courts-and the CLERK
is generally also Commissioner-are APP
pointed by the judges oftheir ri spectiye dis
tricts, and their compensations are regula-
ted by the fee system.
Among the reports recently made, one
from Virginia is made by Special Examiner,
Heiekell, to the Department of Justice, ''sf
ter O thorough and careful investigation Of
the books, papers, etc." OF Jas. S. Harbour,
late, and Isaac N. AkeIs, present Commits.
sioner of the United States Court for the
Western district of Virginia, and shows to
what degree systematic robbery Of Inc
Government can be and is being carried on
daily.
After reciting The steps taken to carry out
the order Of inspection ths report proceeds
to say:
James S. Harbour was appointed to Office
sometime in the year 1880 by Judge Rlves,
now deceased, but did not commence bust
ness,"as he expressed it, until February,
1881, and when he did commence bust
ness" he had an eye solely to the accumu-
lation of fees, by aiding and encouraging
the prosecution Of innocent people, being
supported by the evidence of professional
witnesses" whose only object was to obtain
and secure their per diem fees and mileage.
Speaking of tho county in which Com
missioner Harbour resides it Gays:
That great outrages have been dono the
people of Patrick county and gross frauds
| perpetrated upon the Government am thor
ouehly convinced. There have been y large
number of arrests and trials in The village Of
Stuart for the most trivial otfenses and men
sent 10 the United States Court at Danyille
upon the evidence of parties known as PRO
| fessional informeIs" and the witnesses en-
ployed as professional witnesses" some of
whom frequently appear at court IN the CO.
pacity of both witness and prisoner
Last winter and spring it was not an un-
common thing to have two or three courts
| tof Commissioners going on at Stuart (the
county seat Of Patrick at the same time. So
numerous were the witnesses going to Dan
Vile when court convened there that trains
of cars have beer chartered 10 convey them
thither.
Men have been arrested, taken to Dan
Vile, tried ard acquitted, and afterwards
arrested, aud tried for the same oilense and
| taken before Commissioner and sent to
Abingdon to answer Indictment for the same.
Then follows the recital of case which is
said, by the people OF that county, to be bat
one of the many heart.rending scenes OF the
kind citizens are called upon to witness
every month in the year.
An old and highly respectable citizen of
Patrick county was visited by revenue Of
fcer who asked for some brandy, which was
| Lo nd
sumed by the officer, who offered pay for it,
! which was refused. The officer threw the
money down on the table and left. For this
the old man was arrested, charged with re-
failing liquor without license, taken TO Dan
vile during the hot weather in June, aud
while there contracted fever, from which
he died after his return home to Patrick.
Dozens of poor people have been arrested,
tried before Commissioner, sent to Dan
vile to answer indictments for selling 9
neighbor pint or quart Of liquor for sick
wife or child.
The report shows that Harbour tried Is
case against Il. G.. Hall in the Patrick coun-
ty Jail at Stuart, in January, 1885, and gave
abstracts for mileage and witness fees 10 q.
| p. Conway and J. c. Lawson, witnesses In
the case, as if they had been summoned
| from their homes many miles away,
whereas both of them were at that time
confined in the same Jail as prisoners for
| violating the internal revenue laws.
Lawson was confined in Jail for term
of one month and required to pay
q fne of $500, on charge Of retailing
| liquor without license in January, 1886,
and while there another warrant was issued
against him for the same oflense. He was
taken about 200 yards from the jail and
tried. The case was dismissed because, as
| Harbour said, he was already bepg pun
ished" for retaining the liquor. The wit
| nesses in this case were his companions in
Jail. All. of course, received per diem and
witness fees and mileage, as if they had
been summoned from their homes.
George w. SpaDger and his son Samuel
Spanger were tried before Harbour for re-
failing liquor without license on the 11th OF
January, 1856. Both cases were tried within
a few minutes of each other and both dis
missed. The witnesses in each were the
same. Yet the abstracts for fees and mile
age were made out for the I'd and 7th days
of January as if two separate trials had been
held.
The report contains also long list Of
professional witnesses" who make prac'
tice of appearing before Commissioners in
any and every case in which they can de-
rive a fee, regardless of relationship.
Harbour is only one Of four Commission
ers for the little county of Patrick.
In the report made of the investigation
of the books, etc., of Iseac n. Akers, an
other Commissioner for Patrick county, he
says
1 charge Mr.. Akcrs with having tried the
case of the United States Us. Pena Pack, at
the residence of the defendant, for retaining
liquor without license when the account he
rendered the Government shows the same
to have been tried at his Office in Stuart,
Patrick county, Va, and that james Boyd, q
witness therein, received pay for two days
as witness and mileage for twenty-six
miles travel from Stuart, when Pena Pack
resided only twelve miles from Stuart and
James Boyd resided between the residence
of Pena Pack and thetown ofStuart.
In this case OF Pena Pack the informant
against her was one Charles Pike, who was
aIso q witness in the case Hearing that